Russia's Military Build-Up in the Arctic:to What End?

Katarzyna Zysk will examine the evolution of Russia's military posture in the Arctic, including current investments, training and exercises, and will explore what the development trends over time can ultimately tell us about the end objectives for the revamped Russian military presence in the region. She will clarify the often-misleading definitions of the Russian Arctic and the competing narratives about Russian military development, and will examine the expansive Russian threat perception in the Arctic as one of the primary driving forces for the regional military buildup.

Katarzyna Zysk is a professor of international relations and contemporary history at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), which is part of the Norwegian Defence University College (N DUC) in Oslo. She has been at the IFS since 2007. Currently, she serves as deputy director and Head of the Cetnre for Security. Dr. Zysk's research has focused on security, defence and strategic studies, in particular Russia's military strategy, warfare, the Russian Navy, geopolitics and maritime security in the Arctic, as well as military change and defence innovation. Her published research has appeared in SAIS Review of International Affairs, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Asia Policy, RUSI Journal, Politique Etrangère, International Relations, Jane's Navy International, and others, including in books published by Cambridge and Oxford University Presses.